… As Olomu templates path to achieve N2.3T Revenue Target
There are strong indications that the Apapa Area One Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the revenue collection pacesetter of the service is set to gain more dimension in her core mandates of revenue collection, anti-smuggling campaign and facilitation of legitimate trade, going by recent developments in the command’s operational evaluation.
The emergence of the present Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, which was greeted with much enthusiasm being a well-known officer of impeccable personality with immense customs knowledge and experience as the customs duties entails, tends to have so far justified this assertion with several friendly but daring measures currently being adopted to achieve efficiency at the flagship command.
It was gathered that the CAC and his management team are working round the clock to ensure that they consolidate on the record breaking feats the command is noted for, especially those met on ground, as they tread on the path of achieving the N2.3 trillion revenue target benchmark for the command in year 2024.
TranQuest gathered that, most formations and units under the command are now wearing a more effective operational look in their respective undertakings as they are now more averse to illegitimate task, as they sought for legitimate needful from the respective stakeholders.
This however seemed not far-fetched as it was said to be the fall out of one of the new measures of the present regime at the command for all unit to step up commitments and operational capabilities in order to meet up with the swelling revenue generation demand of the command, as well as the new monthly revenue benchmark that must be achieved.
A recent statement from the command was emphatic about Comptroller Babatunde Olomu and his management team’s commitment towards trade facilitation, interventions to plug revenue leakages, among others in the short period he assumed duty, as they have indeed set the command on comfortable trajectory towards achieving N2.3 trillion 2024 revenue target.
It would be recalled that, Olomu upon assumption of office in May 2024, had talked tough, and is presently seen walking along the rope and working the talk.
He said, the command under his leadership watch has embarked on series of measures to further consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor in order to take the revenue performance of the command to higher level.
To this, Olomu led Apapa Command is said to have set monthly, weekly and daily revenue targets for its revenue officers to energize them toward meeting the N2.3trillion 2024 target.
The statement gathered that the sum of N193 billion was set as a monthly target, N44 billion as the weekly target and N8.9 billion as a daily target, noting that he met an enhanced revenue collection template on ground and they are expressly building on.
With these self-imposed revenue targets, it is expedient to note that the ambitious CAC may the hitting the hallmark of revenue collection performance feat if all worked according to its perfected plans.
It would be recalled that the command’s 2024 first quarter revenue collection record under the erstwhile CAC Comptroller Babajide surpassed its target. While it generated N182billion in April, a shortfall collection of N175billion was realized in May 2024 due to feasible challenges that generally affected operational trade in the country.
Meanwhile, some officers who pleaded anonymity informed TransQuest that officers and men of the command are seriously working towards the targets and that they are confident of achieving it due to the diligence and dedication of the command’s revenue officers who are constantly being kept on their toes by the CAC and the Headquarters as well.
They further said they have blocked a lot of revenue leakages and made a lot of interventions which kept the revenue on an increasing path, and that all these are achieved without impeding trade as it were, as they noted that they do everything to facilitate genuine transactions by compliant traders.
According to the sources who know fully well the high propensity of an average Nigerian trader to evade duty payment, the command engaged in a lot of scanning and physical examinations without necessarily compromising trade facilitation.
“Because of our diligence and thoroughness in checking declarations and consignments through the use of non-intrusive technology (scanning) and physical examinations, non-compliant traders are not comfortable.
“As a result, some of them resort to blackmail and all sorts of antics to compromise and dampen the morale of our revenue officers without success” some of them unanimously declared.
They said, the command raised a lot of queries on suspicious consignments but without wasting time to ensure that importers and their agents make honest declarations, and as a result no compliant trader has any reason to be apprehensive at the command.
On the style adopted in its scanning procedures, a source said that Comptroller Olomu completely agreed to the fact that Non-instructive inspection (scanning) is the best technology we have all over the world, as he debunked some negative reactions from some quarters, tagging them as rantings from uncompliant traders.
The source thereafter clarified issues surrounding the scanning process as he explained that it is a system that randomly selects containers meant for scanning and that there is no way the command’s scanning officers could influence containers that will go to the scanning site.
He said the claim is impracticable due to the volume of containers they are supposed to scan daily which are between 150 to 200 containers, noting that there won’t be time to subject any of such container to physical examinations given the volume of containers they are to scan each day”
He however lamented that some Nigerians are vehemently averse to this type of technology that will prevent them from cutting corners because of their high inclination to evade payment of duties.
Another measure put in place by the Olomu led management in this short period is his desire to maximize the use of barges to evacuate cargo from the port. According to reports, Comptroller Olomu has initiated a programme that will encourage the maximum use of barges to further boost fast delivery of cargo to decongest the terminals and at the same time, reduce traffic gridlock on the port access road.
To this end, he has commenced an engagement with barge operators and terminal operators to enhance the use of barges, as well as his plans to co-opt other commands at the Lagos ports into the initiative.
On the issue of alerts on cargo, the command said it was a means of flagging any cargo whose owner either wants to evade payment of duties or engage in under payment, and that a compliant trader has no cause for worry.
It would be recalled that, Comptroller Olomu upon assumption of office had hinted his resolve to light up the modernization pace of the command which expectedly is the nucleus flag bearer of the service to the required global standard.
“As you may be aware, the management of the service is committed to evolving a more modern customs with Apapa Port being a nucleus to the implementation of the many trade facilitation reforms championed by the Comptroller-General of Customs” he said.
He however urged officers of the command to brace up for the changes that will feature as fallouts of customs modernization, otherwise called e-customs, AEO, and many other groundbreaking World Customs Organization innovations like the recently introduced advanced ruling policy, that shall henceforth be employed in the operations of the command.
He said this will enable them to enjoy more gains of trading across borders in the global supply chain in line with the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC), the WCO Supply Chain Management Guidelines, and the various national best practices.
Also, he as his working principle forewarned of his intolerance to delays that could pose stumbling blocks to trade facilitation in all operational spheres of the command, and to this advised officers to treat all official matters with the speed they deserve leaving no file unattended to as such delays could mean slowing down government revenue inflow.
On dispute resolution mechanism to be adopted, Comptroller Olomu promised to emplace a trade dispute resolution seat that will operate every day including weekends to ensure that we make this command a true front liner in global best practices in terms of customs operation for other customs formations to emulate.
“Being the customs command handling the largest volume of trade in Nigeria, Apapa Command under my leadership won’t be complacent and will be open to continuous engagement with everyone”, Olomu said.
At another juncture in his address, the new CAC was unmistaken when he frankly sighted all stakeholders present at the hall and unequivocally stated that, “I see my task as CAC Apapa command as a serious assignment from the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR dsm psc (+) of which our only option is to deliver diligently not only in revenue collection, fight against smuggling, but in trade facilitation and sustainable stakeholder engagement.
“My assumption of this office is with a mind of confidence that we won’t betray the trust reposed in us by the FGN, CGC and the entire management of the Nigeria Customs Service.
“This confidence is premised on the reality that I am taking over a very organized command, where I intend to build on the successes of my predecessor” Olomu said.
Having acknowledged the huge efforts and the big shoes laid down by his predecessor, Comptroller Olomu said he is drawing confidence to the fact that he is taking over a very organized command and he intend to build on it.
He however noted that his doors are open for advice on how best to achieve the mandate, adding that, “we are all here to add value and do better for Nigeria”.
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